









































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































V ♦-.o’ ^ * " ’ ' f° ,.. , 

V A * * • °* c\, y) *L,<W* ^ 

. x A v >\£LS • «*> A* s 




tf. A - 

VV 


•*•> vP, 



O 

Q ,\V^. o 
* ^ V <£ ° 


° ❖ A 

r Vv 


; v 0 * 7 ^ ”'. 

* .0 V *^* -* ... , 

♦* * A V* ; 

» <A> V^p -* O aV**, 

t» A v ' O '.o '."* 4 .<? ^ *^T*’ A <a 

, i»• - .o' c 0 V 3 ♦ <o t * 4 

°o <r* *>*>/&£* v c ° ♦ 

%v* <W '*•* 



A * 
^ <£ » 


' : >>° ^ »„ 

O * 'V. " , * » «~0° .■?>' 

^ .<T ,*••'. *> v 

- >„ <£ ♦ Qi»* V,* 8 ’ * 




o 4. n V - 

o. ^* ( 1 ‘ a 0 v, 

. o, *<y * 4 ^CA* ^ 


s: *U* • 

# » 0 k V> * » 

* V ^ ° 

A <, 

^ .•‘A!*. ^ 

?#m>' 


'* \A 


L^> »C, 


O • Jk 


** A>' 

1 . 6 * *0 



o W O ^ 

„ O U 

^ * oV^DV- ^ & 


A _•'>'** ^ 


"T <L 


0*0 


r 


■o V 


• A <* 


4 0^ 


£* <*^ 

<5> **° -o^ 

„ V V ^ * °A o 

i\ %*' irn 


^ * A ^r> 

F * ^ • 

4 <J. V •* 


'° ^ '*»r^‘ % -•■’• 

,v^ -.%^; :P»« aVA 

* .<K •**, " 





^■Ts" A, 

o * 5 .V* 


♦° 


. *■ 1 * 4 


4 .<’'• ^ ‘ *° ... •** ’’ aV 

^ C 0- °o 

•J *spm ^,. -n* ^ 

< A 0 



v^ # / ’.; v^*>^ .°/v* 

•• ^ ^ %/ ,V i; 



\* C? 



.\* 'v* 

<r \ <: c * o * 

^ o' 



* *jv 

* 4 / » 

« 0 V v^- Y • • 5 " A v T 

r\^ , o " o A t 






° ° 
* <y *$> ° 



A ^ 


* O » » ^ 

* 4? %■ 

•' .<? +< 
■ 0 V o°"** 

V f 

* 2 V^\/ %‘—*’ 





v ohO~ w ' 4# . %V .> r „»*o, *c> 

% > V <%> 4? A V ^ 

^ ^ .cC\\^/W7. o ^aC?5 o r * £$XV&//sh Z 


o 

: A v^ v 

* ^ v - 


6 7 >^ . 



.4> 

- - j y 

- ^oV 


♦*(# 


’ ,o v %/<-‘T:7- 'a 

rX o » o *lU y . 

c° /isSS^'. ° ^ ** 

Q , 


V • 4 


'o V 


i<* ^ ^ ”^v ‘V^cjiVKjs^s h [j* w ” *• ^mr* rv " ^*» 

^ ‘^.*%0° °4-‘*" ,, * a '»> o0 ,..,%'•“•*« 

*>* rtV «**» </ . 1 * 0 . O .0 %* ,-,_* 4 < 

®A C\ ^ 17 . • ^ ^ ^> ** ^VA 6 , 


^°x> 


Mill 


• % 4? * 

: v-'A ; 

* <0 
4 W 

4 <L V ei» '‘*.^ 1 ^ ’ ^ 

* Jy ^V 1 * s" A -^a 

^ ^ I q ^ 0 * 0 ^ O ^ 1 ^ 4 

u* ^ , c ° / *&£%>?-> *Kp $ - * 

y ! £mz>n!. *+<$■ *bv* 







'O # Jk 


^o • *> * *g 


* <A> 

4 V ^ 






r o v 


>° *° V 

~ V, , 

^ .*•»* V v * 

f* k Jl lV ^ ^ 

■$> <$> *dsM/h% % <& ' 

a v -%. -ISsf 0 t5>^ I 

c ° * * V <S> • • A C . H * %> 

9 jzFSSA\ ** * ^0 Vl/v^^ -r O 

* ^5svA\ n^V <** t . Ci * &?rfi/7?> o <J 



<* *p. V K 

• ^ 0 X 



°' h .‘‘'“*\* 0 V ‘‘‘ rrr -’ y - 





*<• ^ A A 

O O ^ 


*<A , r 

<* ,;*6^ ^ ^ 

<P ^ A ^ i # ^ A •'£* 

#• *£ . (V 4 « O 

* - G ♦ j&M/7?2u - o 

'. ^ 0 * . 

- * 

* K* « * ’ 

k> £ O *>„ o 

\ t #. » # rl r\ * 



‘ Ox * 

- % c/ • <5 



V 4? % 0 

* \ S' 

*t* \\ 

* *0 jA 6°"°* <S> 

O -A • ^c^Xv „<• -f* 

«b? i 

\ u5 ^C» o \p *7*» * 

,r .. '«$.'*•’• y . °* -•To’ *p- V *--• A 

. ^ . .V -4? .’i'a-. ^ ' 

A. * ^ ^ ' - <£*. 


N ^ «* 

/ «r o. % 
a ' 1 - V % *°»o 

v^ v ; 

°V/WW" 


’■/ \‘^’\/ > -o •*„..- , 

- ,4p* .O*^'. >. .V\*li.v ?K ^ 



• - ' * ’ <?> V °.i» '* • ■'• ** A°° %. % " • ’ *’* < \*'*^’* ^0° 

iV ♦ e >.vy « cA^wy Ai ° aV ♦ yX/tniStk^^k o 





o 

C> ^ o 

& * o 

<, ^Tl** .Cr ^ A 



,^* 




* v*^ 

' * 

* . *0- ^ * 


^ * 
4^ V ,0*0^ *Xi_ 












When You Build 

BY / }_ 

A. RAYMOND KLLIS 

MEMBER OK THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS 





PUBLISHED BY 

WOMAN’S HOME'., COMPANION 

NEW YORK 












































■ 
































When You Build 

BY 

A. RAYMOND ELLIS 


Illustrated by 

Plans, sketches and photographs 
of houses designed and constructed 
under the direction 
of Mr. Ellis 



1920 



Copyright, 1920, by 
Crowell Publishing Company 


JUL 


l '3 Ib2li 


C1A574524 



An attractively laid out street, houses well placed and trees set in space between sidewalk and curb. 


Why Employ An Architect 


PO PLAN and arrange a new house 
-*■ carries with it a great deal of pleas¬ 
ure, which is continued when the house 
is actually occupied by the family. At 
the same time, a house carefully and 
economically built is a wise investment, 
for if people outgrow their first house, 
and it has been well built in a good 
neighborhood, it can be sold at a fair 
increase. 

Unfortunately, the small house of 
moderate cost in the United States is 
in most cases poorly designed—this is 
not so true of larger houses. This is un¬ 
fortunate, because a home need not be 
expensive to be comfortable or attrac¬ 
tive. It is probably due to the fact that 
the man of means employs an architect 
to plan and design his home; but the 
man of moderate means too often de¬ 
termines to do without an architect, to 
reduce the cost and lessen the financial 
burden of building. 

It has been said that the architects 
of this country are responsible for this 
condition, although indirectly; because 
there is little incentive to the successful 
architect to design small homes, when he 
can secure larger commissions from 
commercial and public work, or from 
more expensive houses. The time in¬ 
volved in making the plans and super¬ 


vising the construction of a small house 
is almost as great as that consumed in 
one twice as large; but the larger house 
pays twice as much commission. The 
smaller the house the more skill it re¬ 
quires to design it economically. Furth¬ 
ermore the client often does not know 
clearly what he wants, and this involves 
the architect in needless expense in mak¬ 
ing sketches to work out some imprac¬ 
tical scheme that the client thinks is 
ideal. 

Many people believe that they can plan 
a house with the aid of a builder, or 
use roughly drawn plans, and thus save 
the architect’s fee. This is a great mis¬ 
take, for today building is more com¬ 
plicated than ever before, because of 
the great variety of changing materials, 
methods of construction, and building 
laws. From my experience, I am con¬ 
vinced that the architect saves his fee 
by obtaining a better planned and more 
economically constructed house, and one 
that will sell more readily than if built 
without technical advice. I think that 
most people who have built houses, con¬ 
cede this. 

Since the need of good plans is im¬ 
perative, I can see no reason why reput¬ 
able architects who have designed small 
houses cannot help by selling these plans 


3 








4 


This Colonial cottage is very compact and therefore economical to build. (See photograph on opposite page.) 



















































































































































































































































































Photograph of the Colonial house on opposite page as built by a Companion reader in 1908. 


at a nominal price. These complete 
plans of small houses with their spe¬ 
cially written specifications are sufficient 
for any good builder to work from with¬ 
out the continuous supervision of an 
architect, in many cases where the 
owner desires to save, and far better 
results will be obtained than if no pro¬ 
fessional plans are used. 

Frequently the owner does not un¬ 
derstand just what the duties of an 
architect are. Any architect would be 
glad to explain this clearly, and also 
explain what plans should cover. Brief¬ 
ly, plans consist of a set of drawings 
which cover every part of the building. 
This is necessary so that the contractor 
can make an intelligent estimate of the 
cost, and then erect the house properly 
from them. The specifications describe 
the kind of material, and together they 
furnish a complete plan and description 
of the building. Besides the advantage 
to the contractor of being able to sub¬ 
mit a figure to cover the building de¬ 
scribed, in case of a law suit, these same 
plans and specifications represent clear¬ 
ly what you are entitled to receive from 
your contractor; but without complete 
plans and specifications it is very hard 
to establish your claim. 

The American Institute of Architects, 
recognizing that the difficulties involved 
in designing a small house are more 


than in a larger house, recommend 10% 
of the cost as the architect’s commission 
for designing houses costing less than 
$10,000., while for houses costing more 
than $10,000, they recommend a mini¬ 
mum fee of 6% of the cost, although 
many architects charge 7%. In case 
partial service is furnished, the fee may 
be sub-divided as follows: one-fifth of 
the fee is charged for preliminary 
sketches, three-fifths of the fee is 
charged for the revised sketches, work¬ 
ing plans and specifications, and the bal¬ 
ance of one-fifth is charged for super¬ 
intending and furnishing the full-size 
details during the construction of the 
house. In addition to this, it is custom¬ 
ary to charge traveling expenses to the 
work from the architect’s office, when 
the work is outside of the city. If sur¬ 
veys or expert advice are required on 
account of unusual problems arising, or 
legal advice is required, these expenses 
are to be paid for by the owner in addi¬ 
tion to the above charges. 

The architect’s preliminary sketches 
are made on thin paper in pencil and 
are submitted to the client for his ap¬ 
proval, or suggestion or changes. They 
are revised, and when finally satisfac¬ 
tory are made into working drawings 
from which the blueprints are taken, 
the contractors figuring and working 
from these. 


5 








How to Finance 


IV/f ANY people do not understand the 
F*-*. financing of a house, and feel that 
a mortgage or loan is to be avoided like 
a debt. On the contrary, it is consid¬ 
ered very good business for a man who 
wishes to own his own home to pur¬ 
chase a lot for $1,200, or $3,000, on 
which he pays half and gives a mortgage 
for the balance; he then builds a house 
which may cost him $5,000, or $10,000. 
He may be able to pay for one-half the 
cost of the house from his cash on hand 
or savings during its construction, and 
upon its completion give a mortgage to 
a bank to secure the money to pay the 
balance. It is advisable to place the 
mortgage with a bank rather than with 
an individual, and banks are very glad 
to get good mortgages of this kind. It 
is necessary to have and to expend for 
land and house, in order to build, about 
one-half the cost of both. And you can 
readily obtain from the banks a mort¬ 
gage for the balance at the prevailing 
interest rates. This mortgage can be 
reduced from time to time; but today 
there are very few houses or buildings 
without mortgages on them, as it is a 
recognized part of the proper financing 
of any building. 

Another way of financing is to take 
shares in a “Building and Loan Assoc¬ 
iation,’’ and then borrow according to 
the association’s schedule. There is no 
risk in building a house on this basis if 
it is well planned and located. It is a 
good investment for you as well as for 
the town, and makes you a better and 
more desirable citizen. 

At the same time you should not 
plunge wrecklessly into debt. The ad¬ 
vice of a good banker should be ob¬ 
tained if you are not familiar with the 
methods, as they need careful explan¬ 
ation. In dealing with institutions, you 


Selecting 

r I ' HE utmost caution is necessary in 
* choosing the site, because it is here 
that the first vital mistake can be made, 
as it is very hard for the inexperienced 
to determine which is a good site and 
which is a poor one. It should be borne 
in mind that the seller is interested in 
disposing of the property at the best 


the Building Cost 

should be perfectly frank, and state ex¬ 
actly what the property is costing you 
and your idea of valuation. If a bank 
agrees to take a mortgage on the pro¬ 
perty, they will probably be willing to 
recommend an attorney who is satisfact¬ 
ory to them to search the title and make 
out the necessary papers for the trans¬ 
action. Avoid concerns who advertise 
to loan money on mortgages. Their 
rates are usually high, and in addition 
they charge a commission or bonus. 

To sum up, there are three recognized 
ways of financing a building: 

The first way is to pay fifty percent 
of the cost of the land and building in 
cash, and borrow on mortgage the other 
fifty percent. 

The second way is to borrow fifty 
percent on the first mortgage, twenty- 
five percent on second mortgage, and 
pay in cash the balance, which is twenty- 
five percent. Second mortgages are 
taken only with a time limit. These run 
for perhaps a year or a year and a half. 
They are at a higher rate of interest 
than the first mortgage, and are not re¬ 
newable. On choice residential property 
these second mortgages are very safe 
investments for a short time; but the 
sum of the first and the second mort¬ 
gage should not exceed the price the 
property should bring at a forced sale. 

The third way is to take shares in a 
local building and loan association. 
These associations are, I believe, very 
reliable. They can be easily investi¬ 
gated, however, by the borrower as to 
whether their reputation is good and 
whether they loan on local property 
only, which is essential. The above three 
methods are the best known, and those 
generally used in financing a building 
proposition. 


the Site 


price that he can obtain, and therefore 
it is important to deal with people who 
are reliable. Investigation of the ad¬ 
joining property will provide an accur¬ 
ate basis for determining its value. Of 
course, a high and dry site is better than 
one that is low and swampy. One with 
trees is usually better than one without 


6 



A rare combination of ideal site, beautiful trees and a Colonial stucco house designed to suit it. 


trees. An investigation of the houses 
and the people in the vicinity of the pro¬ 
posed site will determine the desirability 
of your neighbors. 

In selecting a site much depends on 
whether you desire to build in the coun¬ 
try, near a growing city or town, in 
the suburbs, or in the residential section 
of a city or town. In the first instance 
the land is without any improvement, 
such as sewers, water, gas, electricity, 
telephone, sidewalks, improved streets, 
and is perhaps some distance from 
transportation lines. If the land is be¬ 
ing developed by a real estate company 
which is laying out temporary streets 
and cutting it into small lots, the clever 
salesman is apt to make the proposition 
very attractive with the easy payment 
plan. This land will be cheaper than the 
land in the well-developed suburb where 
all improvements are obtained, but de¬ 
veloped suburban property is a safer in¬ 
vestment and more salable. 

You must not expect to find low tax 
rates in the sections most highly devel¬ 
oped ; but I believe these sections are 
preferable, and the additional tax rate 
is well worth the additional benefits, 
when you consider the protection to 
your investment by being in a police 
and fire district. 

The following are some of the de¬ 
tails that must be considered in select¬ 
ing any site: 


1. The means of transportation, and kind of 
churches. 

2. Water supply. City water is preferable, 
and lake water is to be avoided. 

3. If you have children, is there a school 
nearby ? 

4. Can groceries be delivered? Is it neces¬ 
sary to fetch and carry everything used 
in the house? Are ice and milk avail¬ 
able ? 

5. Is there a sewerage system, or must 
you depend upon a cesspool or disposal 
plant? 

6. Are elecricity, gas, telephone, and mail 
service available? 

7. Is there much grading or filling neces¬ 
sary in order to build upon the site? 

8. Will roads have to be built? 

9. If there are large boulders or ledge rocks 
on the site, it means blasting, but the 
stone can, of course, be used for the 
foundations and cellar. 

The subdivision of large tracts of 
property is about as follows : 

The property is surveyed and laid out 
in plots with regular streets and aven¬ 
ues, with an established building line 
(see illustration, page 3). 

Where a higher type of development 
is required, the property is laid out with 
more care in larger plots, and the 
straight streets and avenues are not as 
essential as picturesque winding roads 
following the natural contour of the 
ground. Proper regard is paid to the 
orientation of the lots, as well as to see- 


7 






This plan was designed to suit a narrow lot with the end toward the street. The shingled exterior with 
its hooded entrance porch on the north and enclosed sun room on the street end is very unusual. 



In the above plans notice that the living room and dining room are op the south. 

floor is arranged so that all chambers are cross ventilated and sunny 


The second 


8 



















































































































































































































ing that the roads are laid out so that an 
average grade can be maintained be¬ 
tween properties, avoiding sharp drops 
at party lines, and at the sidewalks. 

Examine each site and compare its 
advantages and disadvantages before 
choosing, and if you are going to em¬ 
ploy an architect, have him see the site 
and give you his opinion and advice. 
There are many things about a site that 
would make building upon it expensive: 
too much slope in any direction means 
expensive foundations and grading; if 
too low, poor sewerage connections and 
expensive filling. 

The architect is familiar with the set¬ 
ting of buildings, and makes a mental 
picture of the scheme best suited to the 
location, and it is not wise to settle 


upon a style until your architect has 
seen the site. If you prefer Colonial, 
then search for a site suited to a Colon¬ 
ial house, or choose the site and fit the 
type of house best adapted to it. Trees 
are always an advantage, as they form 
a screen or a background, and give pro¬ 
portion to the house, while their shade 
is particularly desirable in the summer; 
but they should not be too close to the 
house. With a rough, irregular site, 
select a more rambling type. Your 
architect will probably choose a design 
that develops the views and the natural 
beauties of the site. You must also 
consider which is the best exposure for 
a house on any given site (see illustra¬ 
tion, page 7—a house with a southern 
exposure and garden.) 


Placing the House 


HE way a house is placed, as we 
A all know from personal experience, 
exerts a powerful influence on the char¬ 
acter and disposition of its occupants. 
If it is cold and cheerless in the morn¬ 
ing, because the sun cannot get in, this 
cheerlessness is reflected in the spirits 
of the family. 

Although all rooms cannot have a 
southern exposure, certain rooms should 
be located with regard to the compass— 
Orientation this is called in technical 
language. The dining-room on the east, 
or southeast, receives the morning sun, 
making a pleasant room to breakfast in. 
The living-room should face the south, 
southeast or west, or run east and west 
to make it pleasant most of the day, but 
particularly in the afternoon. The kit¬ 
chen, and less important rooms may be 
on the north side, although in a small 
house it is often best to place the kit¬ 
chen on the east to receive the morning 
sun and make it a pleasant place in 
which to start the day’s work. (See il¬ 
lustration, page io.) 

Consider from the first the landscape 
effect, whether formal or informal, and 
the cost of upkeep of shrubs, lawns and 
drives, when deciding the location, and 
whether you wish to have a small vege¬ 
table garden in the rear. Even the back 
yard is no longer left unadorned, but, 
divided by hedges, trees and gardens, 


provides a beautiful outlook on green 
lawns or attractive gardens, with all ob¬ 
jectionable features screened by shrubs. 
(See plot plans on pages io, n and 35.) 

Houses should set back from the side¬ 
walk at least thirty-five feet. In my 
opinion, a lot should have a frontage of 
not less than seventy-five feet by a 
depth of at least one hundred and sev¬ 
enty-five feet. Lots having a frontage 
of only fifty feet bring the houses so 
close together that the privacy of the 
home is destroyed, and there is not 
room enough between the houses for 
trees or shrubs or even sunlight. The 
danger of a conflagration is greater, 
also, when houses are set close together. 

The cellar windows should be of good 
size, and if a low setting is desired for 
the house, it is advisable to place the 
windows in areas. This will depend 
upon the style of the house. A house 
which stands on a slight elevation 
should set lower than one which sets on 
a depressed site. 

The house can be placed on a nar¬ 
row lot if set with the living-room 
end toward the street, having a walk to 
the front door on the south side and the 
driveway and tradesmen’s entrance on 
the north side. This would leave room 
for a garden and garage at the rear. The 
proper location for the garage would be 
at the end of the lot on the kitchen 
side. (See illustration, page 8.) 


9 




MAIM fODY or rou E. 25dX3*0X Z7Z*- Z3D9EE9 afT 
rLONT QAM£ ie0‘x&0X9 , 0*4 - 2A&00 JLZI. 

rt£uCTl/l VIPELQBLC._ J60X66 + 71 5AH(T 

#.tdp at uid i-cnris-dx I'o* '• - ~'3aao~_nr~ 

m»jn mruncfc ncuicrcB .4 ; o'xdaxi6‘cf___- ~m -?. nn— - 

ztqtal :23a®.6snrr: 


rdFIAQC 




mEEEEKE; 


r I 'HIS interesting and livable house is 
^ ideal—the kitchen and dining-room 
are on the East, the living-room on the 
West, the porch on the South. (See plan 
top of page.) The second floor contains 
three chambers and can be arranged for 
four, with two more in the attic. 


”"HE exterior of the house is stuccoed 
* and a background of trees, with 
shrubs in the foreground, sets off the 
design to advantage. .A study of the 
way the house is placed and the plot of 
ground laid out (shoivn at top of page) 
will prove zvell worth while. 


io 
























































































































































































































































T HE plan of this house demands a lot with a wide 
front facing West, as the dining-room and living- 
room are on the East (in the rear of the house), 
overlooking the garden. 

The front elevation represents the most modern 
adaptation of the Colonial style to the elongated plan 
with North and South axis, a type suitable for sub¬ 
urbs or country, and a most satisfying one. 

The second floor contains all the features considered 
essential in the up-to-date country or suburban house, 
including a commodious sleeping porch. 


b* no 


First Floor 






































































































































































































































































A H O US K the 
author design¬ 
ed for himself, 
which proves what 
he preaches—that 
proportion and 
simple detail, prop¬ 
erly related, make 
a quaint Colonial 
house. 



out to serve its util¬ 
itarian purpose as 
zvell as to be com¬ 
fortable .and .at¬ 
tractive. The sec¬ 
ond floor, with the 
owner’s .suite on 
the South, leaves 
the two chambers 
and bath at the 
North end for the 
guests or members 
of the family. 



—frf-N - 


lTFFgmf 


/' r n \| I H r I7 ~ B T 
J L Y I 1 flU LrL 


H3ZX L5X 



a 



12 












































































































































































































































































Choosing the Style of House 


CTYLES in architecture are many and 
^ varied. In different sections of the 
country we find them adapted to meet 
the climatic conditions, and the topogra¬ 
phy, and available natural building 
products. In New England, we find 
many fine Colonial examples of large 
and small houses; in the South, low. 
rambling one-story bungalows, and 
houses with two-storied piazzas or gal¬ 
leries to protect the rooms from the 
sun. In the extreme West, the old Span¬ 
ish missions have furnished us ideas 
for many types. Sprinkled here and 
there through the country we also find 
Swiss chalets, English cottages with 
stucco panels in the gables, houses with 
French or Italian villa treatment, or a 
German adaptation, and the rest are 
purely American types. 

The small country house and villas 
of Europe have had a good influence on 
American architecture, and have taught 
us that a house and garden to be suc¬ 
cessful must be one composition, de¬ 
signed at the same time. Their beauti¬ 
ful interiors have inspired us to treat 
ours more skillfully, with a better use 
of detail and woodwork, and the study 
of many of the smaller types will offer 
many unusual suggestions. 


Extreme individuality is not advisable 
in small houses, as they are not salable. 
The house should be built with its in¬ 
vestment value in mind. Good houses 
always sell quickly, but eccentric ones 
are not so readily disposed of. 

Advise your architect of your likes 
and dislikes in plans, styles, decoration, 
and furniture. If you have no particu¬ 
lar choice, it might be well to point out 
one or two houses that specially please 
you, as it will guide him as to your in¬ 
dividual tastes. An architect is ac¬ 
customed to obtain a good design by his 
arrangement of windows, roofs, and 
features, with regard to their propor¬ 
tion, and not by adding here and there 
features that are only intended to be or¬ 
namental. So the architect’s beauty of 
design lies in the fact that it is simply 
a matter of the proportion of voids and 
solids inherent in the construction, and 
this beauty of arrangement, contrary to 
most popular opinion, adds nothing to 
the cost of the house. Aside from 
achieving beauty of design, the architect 
arranges the rooms so that the minimum 
amount of space is wasted, and from 
experience he knows at once the best 
arrangement that will allow a house to 
come within a fixed limit of cost. 


Room Sizes and Ceiling Heights 


TV/T ANY people when looking over 
-*“*-*- plans for the first time are unable 
to determine whether the sizes are cor¬ 
rect. I would, therefore, recommend 
the following sizes : 

The entrance hall should not be less 
than 7 feet wide, and this will permit 
the stairs to occupy one-half of it, or 3 
ft. 6 in. 

The dining-room should not be less 
than 12 ft. 6 in. by 14 ft. 6 in.; a good 
size is 14 ft. by 15 ft. 

A living-room 13 ft. by 18 ft. is about 
the minimum for a small family. A 
room 14 or 15 ft. wide by 27 or 28 
ft. long is the average size used today, 
even in small houses. 

A den can be 10 ft. by 10 ft., but 12 by 
12 ft. is better. 

The kitchen can be 11 ft. by 11 ft.; 
but 11 by 13 ft. is a better size. The 
serving-pantry should be about 10 ft. 


by 6 ft. A pantry 6 ft. square is ample. 

The owner’s chamber, if arranged for 
two beds, should be not less than n by 
17 ft. Most owners’ chambers are 
planned for two single beds, and many 
guest chambers are arranged the same 
way. 

A single chamber can be 12 ft. 6 in. by 
12 ft. 6 in., but a room 14 by 14 ft. is 
a better average size. 

Maids rooms should be designed for 
a single bed, and can be 10 ft. by 11 ft. 

Bathrooms should be about 6 ft. 6 in. 
by 8 ft. 

Rear stairways should be 2 ft. 8 in. 
wide. 

While the above sizes are recommend¬ 
ed from experience, I would advise 
clients to measure rooms of a size they 
like, in order to settle this point to suit 
themselves, particularly if they are en¬ 
deavoring to reduce the size of the 


13 




A CAREFULLY stud- 
** ied design in stucco 
for a small house. The 
plan is simple, compact 
and convenient—there is 
room for two rooms in 
the attic. 


Second Floor 


N the second 
floor are four 
good-sized cham¬ 
bers, with ample 
closet space. From 
two of the rooms 
French doors open 
on to the upper 
balcony. 


np HE first floor 
opens up spac¬ 
iously for a small 
house. 



14 


First Floor 










































































































































































































































house. In some cases the above sizes 
might be reduced, if the doors and win¬ 
dow spaces did not occupy too much of 
the wall space. It is important to con¬ 
sider the available wall space for fur¬ 
niture positions. Some rooms are so 
badly cut up, and have so many win¬ 
dows and doors, that the available wall 
space is not sufficient, and some small 
rooms can be more attractively arrang¬ 
ed, and even appear larger, because of 
the abundant space for furniture. 

Ceiling Heights: The cellar should 
be not less than 7 ft. in height. The 
height of the first story varies. In 
some old New England houses a height 
of 8 ft. will be found. I think this is 
too low. I recommend 8 ft. 6 in. as the 


lowest ceiling height for a house with 
small rooms. The first-story ceiling 
height will be better in an average size 
house if 9 ft. high; and in a living- 
room 15 by 27, the ceiling should be 9 
ft. high, and 9 ft. 6 in. will be better. 
Houses in the South require higher 
ceilings because of the intense heat. 
In New England the second story is 
usually 8 ft. 6 in. or 9 ft. high; in the 
South the ceilings should be a little 
higher. The attic should be not less 
than 7 ft. 6 in high. If a flat roof is 
used there should be a vented air space 
between the ceiling and the roof, as 
during the summer days this air be¬ 
comes very hot unless it is constantly 
moving. 


The Colonial as a Basis 


AKING as an example the Colonial 
square house having four rooms on 
each floor, and elongating it into a 
rectangular plan and providing it with 
the improvements usually required to¬ 
day, we have a comfortable house that 
is inexpensive both to build and main¬ 
tain. (See illustration, page 11.) 

Some Reasons for the Plan: The 

main entrance and hall in the center 
divides the house so that a well-balanced 
symmetrical front elevation is obtained, 
with good window arrangement. The 
two rooms on the left of the hall cor¬ 
respond to the old-fashioned front and 
back parlor, commonly made today into 
one large living-room, or, if two rooms, 
used as a den and sitting-room. The 
dining-room and kitchen occupy the 
other side, arranged so that the kitchen 
is isolated, with the service through the 
pantry, a more convenient way than 
formerly, when the kitchen opened 
directly from the dining-room, and the 
pantry or buttery was near the back 
door, perhaps forming a part of the 
wood shed. 

On the first floor the small house re¬ 
quires an entrance hall, living-room, 
dining-room, serving-room, cold pantry, 
kitchen, coat closet, kitchen closet, as 
well as a piazza and rear porch. In 
addition, if any luxuries can be afforded, 
the front porch might be separated from 
the piazza so that the piazza can be 
placed at the south side and enclosed as 
a sun parlor. In very cold climates a 
vestibule should be provided to the front 


hall and a rear entry to the kitchen. A 
small room that can be used as a den 
or library is of great convenience. 
Back stairs are hardly necessary in the 
small house, and a toilet-room on the 
first floor is decidedly a luxury in the 
small house. 

The second floor usually contains two 
large chambers and two small ones, with 
a closet for each, a bathroom, and a 
linen closet, and a small hall. Many 
houses today, even small ones, have two 
bathrooms on the second floor and a 
sleeping porch. 

The attic should contain one chamber 
and a store-room, although many small 
houses today squeeze in two chambers 
and a bath and storage attic. The cost 
can be reduced by leaving the attic un¬ 
finished at the time of construction, to 
be finished later. 

Entrance Hall and Main Stairs: As 

the entrance hall and stairs take up 
considerable room and as they give the 
first impression of the house, they must 
be planned very carefully, particularly 
in the small house. Generally, the most 
economical arrangement is to place the 
hall in the center of the house with the 
stairs toward the rear, as illustrated by 
numerous plans given in this booklet. 

In connection with the front hall there 
should be a toilet-room or a coat-room. 
The portion used for a coat closet 
should be large enough to take both 
winter and summer coats, umbrellas, 
suit cases and the wraps of guests. 


15 


J N this sanitary kitchen, the 
walls and woodwork are 
painted buff and can be washed. 
The sink is of vitreous china with 
a wooden draining board each 
side, from one of which a slide 
opens into the serving-room. 






| HE serving-room is fitted up 
• zvith a counter 35 inches high 
having glased cupboards and 
drazvers. Under the zvindow is 
a sink for washing the china, 
silver and glasses. The refriger¬ 
ator at the right is iced from the 
kitchen side. 


Side or Rear Hall Entrance: An 

entrance sometimes placed at the rear 
of the main hall is convenient, if an 
entrance is desired from the garage or 
driveway, while the rear porch is care¬ 
fully located to be convenient for trades¬ 
men, leaving the front of the house 
with more unbroken lawn. Many Co- 
onial houses had side entrances, which 
in later years took the form of a porte- 
cochere or covered carriage entrance. 

Rear Entry: The rear entry is a 
feature which is omitted in many small 
houses. It is a very convenient feat¬ 


ure, however, and if large 
enough it can be used as a 
place in which to hang up outer 
garments. A large shelf for the 
receiving of groceries should 
be placed near the door on the 
back poicli. 


Storage of Bicycles, and 
Children’s Entrance: It has 

been found very convenient to 
arrange, in connection with the 
back porch, perhaps under it if 
the ground is low enough at the 
rear of the house, a space in 
which children can store their 
bicycles or outdoor playthings. 
Sometimes this is arranged in 
connection with the rear en¬ 
trance on a level with the grade, 
so that the children come in 
through this entrance, leave 
their bicycles and playthings, take off 
their rubbers and outside garments and 
wash their hands, before going into the 
main house, thus saving much disorder 
and dirt. 


Rear Stairs: From the kitchen or 
rear hall, the back stairs should lead to 
the second floor and to the cellar. They 
should be wide enough so that trunks 
and furniture can be taken up them, 
and should be heated so that they 
can be used to go up-stairs or to the 
cellar, without passing through the 
kitchen. 




. —o'"; 


1 


16 











































Service Arrangement 


The route from the dining-room 

table to the china cupboard, supply 
cupboards, kitchen sink and range 
should be worked out to be in a direct 
line to save steps and make work easy. 
If a coal range is used, it should not be 
too near the sink, otherwise the heat 
will be unbearable at times, and, unless 
the kitchen is well ventilated and well 
lighted, and has an eastern exposure, it 
will not be a pleasant room to work in. 
Near the range there may be a closet for 
pots and pans, although I prefer the old 
way of hanging the cooking utensils, 
shining and spotless, upon a rack back 
of the range. 

A serving-room should be interposed 
between the dining-room and the kit¬ 
chen, where silver, china and linen 
should be kept. The fine china should 
be washed in the serving-room. The 
serving-room has a counter around it 
thirty-five inches high, in which are 
drawers and cupboards; under the win¬ 


dow is usually a copper sink for wash¬ 
ing glassware, china, and silver. On 
the wall above this counter are cases 
of shelves for china, with glazed slid¬ 
ing doors. The kitchen pantry has a 
counter above which are open shelves. 

Cold or Supply Pantry: In most 
small houses the pantry is too large, and 
in many cases the serving-room can be 
made to answer the purpose of both, 
with a refrigerator placed in it so that 
it can be iced from the rear porch or 
kitchen. However, where a small pantry 
is desired, it should contain a refriger¬ 
ator arranged so that the door at the 
back opens onto a porch to receive the 
ice. The refrigerator drain should be 
connected with a small sink in the cel¬ 
lar, this sink being connected with the 
sewerage system, to eliminate the un¬ 
desirable feature of continually empty¬ 
ing the drip pan. A pantry of this kind 
may be very small, yet, if conveniently 



A dining-room of simple proportions and design allowing plenty of opportunity for the owner’s in¬ 
dividual ideas to take expression in the decorating, hangings and furniture. (Residence of A. R. Ellis.) 

17 


























arranged, can contain all the supplies 
required in the small house. 

Broom Closets: In a well-arranged 
house there should be a broom closet 
on the first floor, and one on the second 
large enough to contain a broom, car¬ 
pet sweeper, dustpan, dust cloths, keys, 
floor polish, cleansing fluid, dusters and 
various other odds and ends that must 
be put out of sight. If a vacuum clean¬ 
er is used, the closet should be large 
enough to hold it also. 

Linen Closet: Most housekeepers 

take great pride in the linen closet, and 


therefore feel that it should be a rather 
large and commodiously arranged affair. 
I have found that for a good-sized house 
the most economical linen closet is about 
4 feet wide and 2 feet deep, with a pair 
of doors opening up the full width of 
it, and filled with shelves about 12 inches 
apart from the floor to the ceiling. 
Very few houses will require enough 
linen to fill this completely, and the 
excess space will he used for the storage 
of other things. I do not find it ad¬ 
visable to put flaps on the front of the 
shelves, or even to put in drawers, al¬ 
though this can be done if the house¬ 
keeper particularly desires it. 


Built-in Features and Fireplaces 


Built-in Furniture: The value of 
built-in furniture is somewhat doubtful. 
From my experience I have always felt 
that built-in furniture was not practical, 
as peoples’ ideas are subject to change 
and that which might please one would 
not be pleasing to another. 

The scheme of decoration of a room 
without built-in features can be changed 
occasionally to conform to the desires 
of the owner. However, if the owner 
has made up his mind to have built-in 
features, they should be included in the 
plans rather than added afterward as an 
extra expense. 

Bookcases: These are of two types, 
open and closed. For an extensive li¬ 
brary I prefer a small room with book¬ 
shelves running practically from the 
floor to the ceiling on four sides. Where 
the wall spaces are taken up exclusively 
by book-shelves, the shelves start about 
two feet six inches above the floor. 
The space below this is used for cup¬ 
boards and drawers, and the space above 
for book-shelves with glazed doors. In 
small houses open bookcases are usually 
built in the living-room and are about 
4 ft. 6 in. high, with shelves about 10 in. 
deep. Of course the open bookshelves 
are cheaper than cases having glazed 
doors; but glazed doors are a protection 
against dust and dampness. 

China Cupboard: In the dining¬ 

room a china cupboard built into the 
wall or across a corner is very conveni¬ 
ent. It should have drawers or cup¬ 
boards at the bottom, and cupboards 
above lined with mirrors, with the 


shelves of glass. (See illustration of 
dining-room opposite.) 

Built-in Seats are attractive and or¬ 
namental. Sometimes the space under 
the seat can be used to advantage for 
a woodbox of for storage of odds and 
ends. In the illustration on page 19, 
the space is used for a boxed-in radi¬ 
ator. 

Clothes chutes from the second floor 
to the laundry are not advisable, because 
they serve as dirt catchers and breeders 
of disease, and in case of fire, act as 
flues. 

A good fireplace is essential to every 
living-room, particularly through the 
winter season. A fire in an open 
fireplace is both cheerful and restful. 

The fireplace should be constructed 
of brick, suited to withstand the fire, 
and should have a damper to prevent 
down drafts, and a well-built tight flue 
lined with flue lining. The size of this 
should be not less than 12" by 12", and 
for a larger fireplace 12" by 16" is bet¬ 
ter. The fireplace should be about 18" 
to 20" deep and about 3' 6" wide and 2' 
6" high. In larger rooms the fireplace 
should he 4' or 5' wide. Some of the old- 
fashioned fireplaces were made of soap¬ 
stone, with marble facings and hearths. 
Cement is not very satisfactory for a 
fireplace and cobblestones do not stand 
the heat very well and are suitable only 
for log cabins or bungalows. 

For a well-finished house, I should 
advise a dark red brick fireplace, or a 
fireplace of soapstone with a marble 



A living-room 15' 


30' with 9'-o ceiling, although the beams make it look lower, 
triple window and seat under which is the radiator. 


At the end is a 



A good Colonial dining-room, with an interesting bmlt-in china closet. 

side lights. 


Notice the placing of the 


19 





















A living-room 14' x 30' with g'-o ceiling, simply finished in stained gumwood and carefully furnished. 
The fireplace is of Roman brick and marble. (Residence of A. R. Ellis.) 


facing. The mantel contributes much to 
the decoration of the room, and should 
be selected to conform to the architect¬ 
ure. In the living-room or dining-room 
the mantel and fireplace should be the 
predominating feature* and therefore 
the mantel should be architecturally in¬ 
teresting. 

There should be an ash chute con¬ 
nected with a cleanout in the basement. 


Interior 


B EFORE the specifications can be 
completed by the architect, it will 
be necessary for the owner to select the 
interior finish. By interior finish is 
meant the wood trim used around the 
windows and doors, the baseboards, 
stairs, mantels, cupboards, cornices, pan- 
tries, floors, bookcases, and seats, and 
whether they are to be painted. or 
stained. There are a great many kinds 
of woods, the use of some being con- 


Woodboxes take up so much room that 
I would suggest that a supply of wood 
might lie kept in a seat or in a small oak 
chest. At the same time, if a log fire 
is made properly early in the evening it 
will about burn itself out by bed time, 
so there is no advantage in planning for 
a supply of wood in the living-room. 
Fire screens are advised for all fire¬ 
places where wood is burned, to prevent 
sparks from flying out. 

Finish 

fined to particular localities. The read¬ 
er will have no trouble in determining 
the kinds of wood and finishes if he 
observes other houses and consults his 
architect or builder. In the order of 
their cost the following finishes are 
recommended: 

Yellow pine for kitchens and in service 
portion 

Whitewood for general finish that is to be 
painted white 

Cypress for stained and waxed finish 


20 














Fir for painted finish 

Gumwood for stained and waxed finish 

Birch or beech can be stained or painted 

Maple can be stained or painted 

Oak and walnut are best stained and waxed 

Standing Finish: The service portion 
should be finished in hard pine, varnish¬ 
ed or painted with buff sanitary enamel 
paint that can be readily washed, with 
the plastered walls painted with the 
same material. Wall papers should not 
be used in the service portion of the 
house. 

The finish of the dining-room, hall 
and living-room, if to be painted, should 
be whitewood, or some other wood that 
takes a good paint and enamel finish. 
If the finish of these rooms is to be 
stained, I should recommend gumwood 
or oak. as the two woods with which the 
most attractive and economical results 
can be obtained. (See illustration, page 
20.) 

The finish of the chambers and bath¬ 
rooms is more attractive if painted 
white and enameled, and in such case 
whitewood or pine can be used; but if 
the woodwork of the chambers is to be 


stained, I should recommend beech or 
gumwood. Sometimes whitewood is 
used, but chambers lend themselves bet¬ 
ter to schemes of decoration when the 
finish is painted or enameled, as is shown 
in the illustration below. 

Wainscoting: Wainscots are very 
desirable in certain rooms and should 
conform to the architecture of the room 
very closely. A low wainscot with ob¬ 
long panels is very appropriate in the 
front hall up the stairs and in the 
second floor hall. Such a wainscot is 
also very pleasing in the dining room. 
Sometimes the wainscot in the dining 
room is made about 5' 6" high, the top 
member forming a plate shelf. Such 
wainscots are not strictly Colonial and 
are better carried out in dark stained 
wood, 

In the English style are many very 
attractive forms of wainscots carried 
out in oak, in many cases extending 
from floor to ceiling. 

Cornices: A cornice is an arrange¬ 
ment of mouldings forming the finish 



In the owner’s chamber a fireplace is a very practical as well as decorative feature. In case of 

illness it is especially appreciated. 


21 

























A typical Colonial hall, with the exception of the sliding glazed doors to dining-room and living- 
room, which are very useful at times: but heavy curtains are more decorative. 


at the junction of the side wall with the 
ceiling. The bottom member is a picture 
mould. In many houses important rooms 
have nothing but a picture mould at the 
ceiling, while perhaps the lower portion 
of the room is finished with heavy 
woodwork. The lack of finish in the 
upper part of the room is then very ap¬ 
parent and it is only by the addition of a 
properly porportioned cornice that the 
finish can be properly balanced to give 
a good architectural effect. 

Finish Floors: The hall, den, living- 
room and dining-room, regardless of 
style, usually have quartered white oak 
floors, as these are the most satisfac¬ 
tory; but if they cannot be afforded, 
plain oak will do. Oak is undoubted¬ 
ly the best wood to use for floors. 
White oak is perhaps a little harder 
than red oak, but red oak runs more 
even in color. Quarter-sawed oak is 
more durable than plain sawed oak, 
but it is also more expensive. Be very 
careful to purchase thoroughly kiln- 
dried flooring—the ordinary manufac¬ 
turer does not take enough care in this 
respect. 


For kitchen, bathroom and upper 
hall, it is difficult to find a better wood 
than maple. Maple has a fine, even 
color an cl grain, is not as expensive as 
oak, and is rapidly gaining in popular¬ 
ity. The kitchen and pantry floors may 
be rift grain North Carolina pine, al¬ 
though many are now covered with 
linoleum. 

For the second floor the selection of 
flooring depends upon several things. 
If rugs are to be used, spruce or pine 
floors are good and they can be either 
painted like the old Colonial floors or 
be left without any painter’s finish. 

Details: The detail and pattern of 
the interior finish is a matter with 
which the owner will not be familiar. 
In order to have an attractive interior, 
it is necessary to have well-proportion¬ 
ed doors, windows and molded finish 
of nice detail. Where a painted finish is 
used, the architect will use a more deli- 
.cate detail than when the finish is to be 
stained, and certain styles require cer¬ 
tain moldings; but if an architect is 
employed he will take care of these 
points, otherwise the owner must de- 


22 













pend upon his own taste for selection, 
based on his observation of that used in 
other houses. The cost of houses can 
be kept down by the use of stock ma¬ 
terials. Today the cost of the doors 
and windows, mantels and trim has been 
greatly reduced by the manufacturers 
adopting patterns that are called stock, 
because they make up large quantities of 
them at one time. Stock doors and 
sash are to be recommended. (See next 
page.) Mantels are, as a rule, better if 
made from an architect’s detail, as is 
the interior finish. 


Generally speaking, interior finish that 
is to be painted, requires more skill in 
designing and requires the use of deli¬ 
cate detail, but woodwork that is to be 
stained and waxed, can be simpler, with 
broader surfaces. To a person familiar 
with building, poor detail is very ap¬ 
parent, and is particularly noticeable in 
cheap houses, where the moldings are 
coarse and heavy and lack proportion. 

A house should not be finished until 
the interior plastering is thoroughly dry. 
It is very important that, as far as pos¬ 
sible, the shrinkage and seasoning 



A Colonial staircase with spiral rail gracefully 
window motif decorates the landing, and a coat 


eased and ramped at the newel posts. A palladian 
closet and den are arranged for underneath the stairs. 


23 













































should take place in the house before 
the interior finish is put in place. 
If the house can stand for a month after 
the plastering is finished and carefully 
dried out, the finish will stand up bet¬ 
ter and be less liable to shrink and 
crack. 

Stock Doors can be obtained in al¬ 
most any size. 

Entrance doors to rooms through 
which large pieces of furniture must 
pass should be not less than 2 ft. 8 in. 
wide by 6 ft. 8 in. high by 1^, in. 
thick, and can be made in four panels, 
similar to the old Colonial doors, or 
in cross panels, or in single panels. 
Cross-panel doors are generally used 
only in the service portion of the house. 
The doors should swing into the room 
and may swing from the right hand or 
left hand, whichever seems to offer the 
better position. Sometimes in the owner’s 
chamber or the bathroom a large mirror 
is placed on the door. (I11 the illustra¬ 
tion on page 21, a full length mirror is 
set in the panel of the closet door.) 
These doors can be finished in white to 
match the finish of the chambers; if of 
birch they can be stained to imitate 
mahogany. 

In some sections of the country, where 
it is particularly hot in summer, a door 
made of slats, something like a shutter, 
is used in chambers, in addition to the 
solid door, so that the occupant can 
close the door and obtain privacy and 
yet secure good ventilation. 

The outer entrance doors, such as the 


front door and back door should be 3 
feet wide and made of heavy stock, 
preferably 1^/4 in. thick or 2*4 in. thick, 
to withstand the action of the weather. 

French doors are very attractive, par¬ 
ticularly when used from the living- 
room to the piazza or between rooms 
that occasionally are to be shut off 
from the main portion of the house. 
French doors are usually made in pairs, 
divided into rectangular lights. 

Dutch doors are sometimes used for 
entrance doors. They are divided into 
two parts, arranged so that the upper 
part can swing independently, leaving 
the lower part as a barrier to prevent 
small children from getting out of the 
house, while the open upper part lets 
in air and light. 

Hardware: This is divided into two 
kinds, the rough building hardware, 
consisting of nails and spikes, and 
the finishing hardware which is used in 
the interior, such as locks, knobs and 
hinges. There are many kinds made in 
various grades and at various prices 
that will be impossible to describe here, 
but an examination of the varieties in 
the shops will enlighten the owner con¬ 
siderably. If not experienced in the 
selection of hardware, the owner will 
have to depend on his architect, builder 
or the dealer. Cheap goods are not ad¬ 
visable. I would advise that glass 
knobs be used in the principal rooms of 
the first and second floor. Nickel-plated 
hardware is best in the kitchen, service 
portion, and bathrooms. 


Painting 


SOMETIMES a poor job of wood- 
^ work can be improved in appear¬ 
ance by good painting, and poor paint¬ 
ing can easily spoil good woodwork, so 
that painting is quite an important item. 

Skilled workmen should be employed, 
and only the best of materials. It is 
customary for the architect to specify 
that the paint materials shall be brought 
to the job in sealed packages and cans 
so that they may be inspected, and the 
possibility of adulteration prevented. 

Fillers: A filler should be used on 
certain kinds of standing woodwork to 
form a base for a substantial finish. 
The following are open-grain woods, 
and should be filled: Oak, ash, mahog¬ 


any, baywood, chestnut, black walnut, 
and butternut. 

The following woods have a close 
grain and should not be filled: White 
pine, whitewood, Southern pine, red 
cedar, basswood, birch, cherry, maple, 
holly, and magnolia. In cypress, owing 
to the peculiar nature of the wood, the 
quantity of resin and methylene which 
it contains, it is necessary for interior 
work to use a coat of stain, followed 
by a coat of shellac, to be lightly sand¬ 
papered in twenty-four hours, over 
which apply one or two coats of finish¬ 
ing varnish. 

Kitchen and Bathroom Floors: Ap¬ 
ply two coats of floor varnish. This 
preparation is more of a floor dressing 


24 



This little house (similar to that on page io) has a shingled exterior with a high roof. 
It has excellent service arrangement, including the combination rear staircase. 




than a floor polish. When floors are 
subjected to constant hard usage, it is 
absolutely necessary that they be fre¬ 
quently scrubbed with soap and water. 
Floor varnish preserves the wood, pre¬ 
venting it from becoming soft and 
gray from the constant action of soap 
and water. If linoleum is to be used 
over the wood, varnish the linoleum in¬ 
stead of the wood. 

Birch: Carefully selected wood of 


this variety, finished with floor wax, 
makes a very handsome floor. A great 
deal of it is so uneven in color, how¬ 
ever, that it is seldom used. 

Hard Pine: For upper chambers and 
halls where inexpensive flooring is de¬ 
sirable, hard pine, when properly fin¬ 
ished, will give good satisfaction. Soft 
or white pine should not be used. 
Floors complementary to the trim of the 
rooms are desirable. Borders should 


25 



































































































































































vary in width to suit the size of the 
rooms. When a Colonial effect is de¬ 
sired, the pine can be painted with two 
coats of lead and oil. 

Oak and Ash: On these and all open¬ 
grained hardwoods, apply one coat of 
paste filler. Thin the filler with ben¬ 
zine or turpentine to the consistency of 
flowing varnish, and apply no more than 
can be removed during hardening. 
Clean off surplus filler thoroughly. Al¬ 
low at least twelve hours for the filler 
to harden after rubbing off, and then 
with a cloth apply a thin coat of pre¬ 
pared wax, and polish well with a 
weighted brush or dry cloth. Apply 
second coat in same manner after two 
hours. For final polish, place a piece of 
carpet under brush and rub thoroughly. 

Maple: For this apply three coats of 
prepared wax, polishing each coat well 
with a weighted brush. As the grain 


of maple is very close, it would be of 
no benefit to apply a coat of paste 
filler. If a very high, hard polish is de¬ 
sired, apply a thin coat of white shel¬ 
lac before using the wax. Do not ap¬ 
ply a stain. If a darker floor is desired, 
use orange instead of white shellac. 

Pine and Fir: Apply a light coat 
of dark oak or mahogany water-stain 
and then a thin coat of white shellac. 
Sand lightly with No. o sandpaper, and 
apply two coats of wax, polishing each 
coat well with a weighted brush The 
appearance of a pine or fir floor is 
greatly improved by using a dark or 
mahogany stain. It is necessary to ap¬ 
ply a thin coat of shellac in order to 
protect the stain. If it is desirable to 
finish these woods in the natural color, 
apply a light coat of white shellac and 
three coats of prepared wax only, pol¬ 
ishing each coat well with a weighted 
brush. 


Heating the House 


\ 7 Arious sections of the country have 
v come to prefer certain heating sys¬ 
tems, as in practice they have found 
them to be best adopted to that section, 
and I would advise the home builder to 
be governed thereby. 

For very small houses: A stove in 
the kitchen and a stove in the living- 
room, with registers in the ceilings 
above, will satisfactorily heat the house. 
Next to the use of stoves and fireplaces 
a warm-air furnace with tin pipes con¬ 
ducting the warm air from the furnace 
to a register in each room is the most 
economical. 

Hot-Water System: The most satis¬ 
factory heating system for an aver¬ 
age-sized house, is, I believe, the hot- 
water or vapor-heating system. The 
radiators should be placed under the 
windows. The hot-air registers should 
be placed near the interior walls. I 
object to the use of steam for houses, 
because it varies so much and subjects 
the inmates to too great temperature 
changes to insure healthful living condi¬ 
tions. 

To obtain a good hot-water steam or 


vapor-heating system, it is first neces¬ 
sary to employ a reliable contractor who 
understands proportioning and balanc¬ 
ing of heating mains and returns. Heat¬ 
ing, to be efficient, is designed to heat 
the house to seventy degrees in zero 
weather with the minimum consumption 
of fuel, which means that the heat units 
or gases must travel around the heat¬ 
ing surface of the boiler until their 
power is exhausted before passing into 
the chimney flue as waste. The laying 
out of a heating system for the house 
is not done by guesswork. It is cus¬ 
tomary to figure the size radiator re¬ 
quired to heat each room. It takes so 
many feet of radiator or surface to heat 
so many cubic feet of air, the propor¬ 
tion of heating units to air space being 
determined by the climate and con¬ 
struction and exposure. When the radi¬ 
ators are computed on this basis, a boil¬ 
er must be selected with sufficient ca¬ 
pacity to heat this amount of radiating 
surface. The heating figured out on this 
plan is usually satisfactory, if properly 
piped. The radiators can be of cast 
iron or pressed steel. All pipes and 
fittings and valves should be of the 
best. 


26 




T HE Colonial gambrel 
roof and interesting 
hooded entrances of this 
house make it unusually at 
tractive. It is a good ex¬ 
ample of a compact small 
house as arranged by an 
architect. 


Second Floor Plan 


r VERY conven- 
' iencc, including a 
den, is provided for 
on the first floor. The 
second floor contains 
three family cham¬ 
bers, ample closets, 
dressing room, bath, 
and maid's room. In 
the attic are two 
chambers. 



27 
































































































































A well-planned and art¬ 
istic bungalow, one 
story and a half high, 
with corner porch and 
trellised pergola. The ex¬ 
terior is shingled. 


Second Floor 



U A C H floor 
' has two cham¬ 
bers and a bath, 
making it possible 
to have guests 
without crowding. 


- 

- 

























- 

= 

- 

BE 

=Ff 

- 

=m 
















p 


l 


h 


d 


0 


1 


A 







1 1 
































- 


■ 

11 1 in 

- 



















FFI 












N 

Hmri 2 



THE dining- 
_ room and liv¬ 
ing-room may be 
combined, or one 
may have an al¬ 
cove dining-room 
in the kitchen over¬ 
looking the side 
porch. 


First Floor 


28 































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Plumbing, Hot Water and Ranges 


OLUMBING is so important that 
most towns and cities maintain 
plumbing inspectors to pass upon the in¬ 
stallation, in order to protect the owner 
from a poor job. Select standard fix¬ 
tures, and have a reliable contractor do 
the work. Plumbing is rather intricate 
to explain in such brief space, but I 
believe most people are familiar enough 
with fixtures to select those which suit 
them, and for the piping they must de¬ 
pend upon the plumber, unless the work 
is under the supervision of an architect. 
Brass pipes for hot water mains are 
advisable, and the very best galvanized 
wrought iron for cold water lines. 

In every house the plumbing should 
be of the most sanitary type. The fix¬ 
tures manufactured today are both 
economical and sanitary and are a great 
convenience to both the housekeeper and 
the family in general. Good plumbing 
contributes a great deal to the health 
and comfort of the occupants of the 
house. 

It is customary to have the plumbing 
exposed under the lavatories and to 
have all exposed pipes nickel-plated. 

The supply pipes to each fixture 
should be controlled by a shutoff valve, 
so that if the pipes become frozen or 
leaks develop, the water to each fixture 
can be shut off while repairs are being 
made, without impairing the rest of the 
system. 

The Laundry should contain three 
wash trays, one for soaking, one for 
washing and one for rinsing the clothes. 

In the Kitchen there should be an 
enameled iron or vitreous china sink 
about 20 inches wide by about 30 inches 
long with an enameled iron draining 
board at either side. In the serving- 
room there should be a copper sink for 
washing fine china, silver and glass. 
These sinks should be placed at a 
height convenient for the person who 
is to use them. In any event, be care¬ 
ful not to place them too low. 

A Lavatory containing water closet 
and set bowl should be provided (if it 
can be afforded) on the first floor for 
the use of children or guests. This 
toilet-room should have a window for 
ventilation, and all bathrooms and 
toilet-rooms should be so planned that 


they receive light and air from the out¬ 
side. 

The Bathrooms: It is customary, 
today, to provide an owner’s bathroom 
as well as a general bathroom for the 
use of guests and other members of the 
family. Each bathroom is equipped with 
a tub, preferably built in, a water closet, 
a lavatory, and in some cases, a shower 
either in a shower stall or hung over the 
tub and enclosed with a cotton curtain. 
Most bathtubs are also equipped with a 
shampoo fixture. The tub should be of 
enameled iron ; the lavatory may be of 
enameled iron, but is more satisfactory 
if of vitreous china. The water closets 
should be of vitreous china with vitreous 
china tanks rather than of wood. In 
addition, the bathrooms should have a 
tile floor, and the walls should be 
wainscoted with tile. Over each lav¬ 
atory there should be a medicine closet 
with a mirror door, and if the bath¬ 
room is large enough a small cupboard 
should be provided for towels, face 
cloths, and miscellaneous bathroom sup¬ 
plies. Bathrooms should be heated by 
a good-sized radiator. 

Of course there are many very elab¬ 
orate fixtures, such as sitz baths, foot 
baths and needle showers, that are not 
required in the usual house; at the same 
time there are many good inexpensive 
types of fixtures. 

In the attic there should be a maid’s 
bath, containing an enameled iron tub, 
a water closet and an enameled iron 
lavatory. The floor can be of wood 
and the walls plastered and enameled. 

The supply of hot water is a very im¬ 
portant factor in the house. There are 
two ways of obtaining this: The 

simplest method is to place a 50-gallon 
boiler in the kitchen and connect it 
with the water-back in the range; but 
where a continuous supply of hot water 
is required throughout the year, it is 
better to put a larger boiler, contain¬ 
ing perhaps 100 or 120 gallons, in the 
cellar and attach it to a small coal tank 
heater, which can be kept burning all 
the time. This little heater will heat 
with a small consumption of coal per 
day, hot water enough for all purposes. 
This small amount of heat is also suffi¬ 
cient to keep the cellar from being 


29 


damp. The hot-water supply should be 
what is known as a circulating system. 
This will avoid having to draw cold 
water for two or three minutes before 
getting hot water. In many sections of 
the country the water is heated by an 
automatic gas heater placed in the cellar. 

Cooking Ranges: The old-fashioned 
coal range is, of course, used in many 
houses, with a boiler nearby to furnish 


hot water, connected to the water-back 
of the range. 

In many suburban localities gas ranges 
are very popular, and there are a great 
many houses where all the cooking 
is done by electricity. My own experi¬ 
ence with an electric cooking range in 
two houses has been entirely satisfac¬ 
tory, but the use of electricity for this 
purpose depends, of course, upon the 
local rate charged for current. 


Lighting the House 


There is but one ideal lighting sys¬ 
tem to consider, that is electricity, 
furnished either by an electric light com¬ 
pany or by an independent storage bat¬ 
tery plant. The latter is more expensive 
than when current is purchased from a 
company. Acetylene gas systems are 
used in a great many isolated sections 
and are satisfactory. Gas is to be recom¬ 
mended,. however, in preference to ace¬ 
tylene lighting if it can be obtained at 
reasonable rates. Some houses are wired 
for electricity. and piped for gas, the 
gas and electricity being brought to an 
opening and a combination fixture being 
used so. that either is available for il¬ 
lumination, but this practice is being dis¬ 
continued, and electric lights are being 
used in preference. 

The electric meter should be placed 
in the cellar near a window, so that it 
can be reached from the outside and 
shut off in case of fire. In some sections 
it is required by law to be placed on the 
back porch. 

Location of Lights: The problem 
of proper lighting requires careful 
study. The lights must be located in 
relation to the position of the furniture 
and with thought as to how they are 
to be used. 

To-day, nearly all lighting in houses 
is by the use of side lights or brackets 
and by portable table lamps. On ac¬ 
count of the desirability of changing 
the position of the furniture from time 
to time, the portable lights are attached 
by a cord to a plug in the wall, this 
method having been found to give more 
latitude in rearranging a room according 
to one’s desires. 

Chandeliers are very seldom used to¬ 
day except in rooms with very high ceil¬ 


ings as it is difficult to obtain a well- 
proportioned and beautiful chandelier 
for a ceiling only nine feet high. 

Lights should be placed about 5 ft. 6 
in. from the floor. All ceiling lights 
should be on switches, and the lights in 
halls and on stairs should be arranged so 
that they can be controlled by switches 
from the floor above and the floor below. 

The eye strain is lessened when wall 
brackets or chandeliers are shaded with 
silk or vellum shades, therefore it is 
much better to illuminate a living-room 
by portable reading lamps than by ceil¬ 
ing lights. All large closets should 
have a light in the ceiling, operating 
preferably by door switches, although 
this is in the nature of a luxury. It is 
also advisable to have all the cellar 
lights on one switch in small houses so 
that no one will have to go into a poor¬ 
ly lighted cellar at night. As a pro¬ 
tection against burglars, all lighting 
circuits can be connected on one master 
switch, placed at the head of the owner’s 
bed so that the whole house can be il¬ 
luminated by turning the switch. 

Plugs : In the laundry there should be 
a plug for an electric iron, and plugs 
should be placed in the baseboard of 
each room and hall, to be used for port¬ 
able table lights or for portable vacuum 
cleaners, while in the dining-room and 
kitchen they may be used for electric 
cooking devices. Put in plenty of plugs, 
even if you don’t need them all at first. 

Lighting Fixtures: These should be 
selected from a reliable manufacturer. 
They are rather expensive, but a very 
good selection can be made if care is 
used. The client can safely follow the 
manufacturer’s advice if, again, he is 
without an architect. 


30 



A Colonial house of unusual dignity that depends on no ostentatious ornamentation to distinguish 

it from the ordinary types. 


Constructing the Small House 


HT HE foundations of a small house 
must be designed and constructed 
carefully. In many sections of the 
country various materials are used for 
foundations, and in each locality there 
is one material which is the cheapest; 
but in the majority of places concrete 
seems to be the most satisfactory, with 
local stone a close second. 

Foundations: If the wall is of stone 
it is about 14 or 16 inches thick. If of 
concrete it need be only 12 inches thick. 
Concrete foundations are usually the 
most economical except where stone is 
abundant. In some cases where the 
soil is very light and well drained, hol¬ 
low tile, concrete blocks or brick can be 
used ; but where the soil is mixed with 
clay it is important to have a very good 
foundation made water-tight, with 4 in. 
tile drain laid at the bottom of the wall 
or on the outside of the wall, to carry 
off any surface water that may accum¬ 
ulate on the cellar floor. The floor of 
the cellar is usually laid after the house 
has been framed and roofed. It should 
be in two parts, first a foundation of 
brickbats, gravel and small stone about 
4 in. thick, grouted with concrete and 
then finished with a cement top from 1 
to i l /2 in. thick. 

The Frame House: In considering 
the material of which the house itself 
is to be built, the owner must decide 
between masonry and frame. The major¬ 
ity of houses are built of wood be¬ 


cause it is cheaper. Wooden houses are 
fully as attractive as masonry houses 
and just as many charming effects can 
be obtained, depending upon the skill 
of the designer. A frame house is 
constructed more rapidly and easily than 
a brick house, and many claim that 
frame houses are healthier to live in. 
If a frame house is decided upon, the 
lumber must be well seasoned. The 
frame is usually of spruce. It should 
be seasoned material, air dried; in other 
words, the shrinking should take place 
while it is piled in the lumber yard 
rather than in your house, because any 
shrinking in the frame after the house 
is erected will cause cracks in the wood¬ 
work and plaster. 

The majority of frame houses today 
are built with a halo on frame. Years 
ago it was customary to erect a mortised 
and tenoned frame, in which very heavy 
timbers were used at the corners and at 
the line of the second floor joist, thor¬ 
oughly braced in all angles, but recently 
the balloon frame has been adopted gen¬ 
erally ; it consists of lighter material 
securely nailed and will be found to be 
entirely satisfactory. This framework 
is covered on the outside with boards, 
then carefully covered with building 
paper well lapped and brought tightly 
around all doors and windows to keep 
out the wind. Over this are placed the 
shingles, weather boarding, siding or 
clapboards, as the owner may choose. 
The exterior finish of the house is us¬ 
ually of white pine or cypress, for these 


31 













































two woods are particularly durable 
when exposed to the weather. 

Stucco House: The second type of 
construction that is very popular is the 
stucco or cement-plastered exterior. The 
house is framed, boarded, and the ex¬ 
terior covered with an extra-heavy 
waterproofed paper. Over this is placed 
metal lath on metal furring strips; in 
some cases metal lathing is used with 
wood furring strips, but I prefer the 
metal as it is less liable to shrink and 
crack the plaster. The metal lath is cov¬ 
ered with the cement, which is applied 
in three coats. The first coat imbeds 
the metal lath, and the second coat is 
applied with a fairly smooth surface. 
When this is hard, a third coat is ap¬ 
plied, and may be either of a very rough 
texture called rough cast, applied by 
throwing the fine mixture on, or smooth 
texture made by applying the finish coat 
with trowels and smoothing it off to 
give a coarse sand finish. Stucco can be 
obtained in various colors, but white, 
natural gray and light tan are the most 
popular. 

Brick Veneer: In the order of their 
cost the next type of construction would 
be the brick veneered, which consists of 
framing the house with the balloon 
frame, the same as for the first type, 
and covering the frame with boarding, 
and then practically veneering the ex¬ 
terior of the house with four inches of 
brick. The bricks are tied to the board¬ 
ing by means of metal ties, and when 


completed the effect is that of a solid 
brick house. Since we are considering 
inexpensive types of construction, these 
are the only two I will describe in de¬ 
tail. 

A Brick House today affords many 
possibilities, for the brick manufacturers 
have recently produced many shades, 
textures and finishes that produce very 
harmonious results when properly used. 
Of these, Tapestry brick is the best 
known. The dark red Harvard brick is 
the best suited for Colonial houses. 
Light gray bricks are effective when 
used in other styles, but they are not 
suitable for the Colonial. 

Other Outside Materials: d he con¬ 
struction of a stone house, or reinforced 
concrete house, or a tile house, should 
be under the direction of an architect. 

Hollow tile houses are similar to brick 
houses, that is, the walls are built of 
hollow tiles and the exterior is covered 
with cement plaster. Houses with the 
exterior walls of concrete blocks are 
used in some sections of the country; 
but unless the blocks are cast with an 
air space the walls are apt to be damp. 

The Roof: The permanence of ma¬ 
terials should receive careful consider-, 
ation, as well as their fireproof quali¬ 
ties. The roof may be of wooden 
shingles, asbestos or composition 
felt. A tile or slate roof should always 
be used with a brick or stucco house, 
bearing in mind, however, that a slate 



The charming living-room in the little cottage illustrated on the opposite page. French doors at 

the end open on to the rear porch. 


32 
























Spacious, yet compact, this first floor 
plan is well worth careful studying. 


roof is preferable for a Colonial house 
where a tile roof would be entirely out 
of place. A slate roof is a protection 
against fire from chimney sparks or 
firebrands from a nearby fire. Flat 
roofs should be of canvas laid in white 
lead and oil paint. 

Fireproofing :• In frame houses it is 
customary to place a course of bricks 
over the sill, level with the first floor, to 
prevent fire from being drawn from the 
cellar into the spaces between the studs. 



In addition to four good-sized chambers, 
the second floor boasts a sleeping porch. 


If the spaces between the studs at each 
floor are stopped off with a course of 
brick, and if in construction care is 
taken to close off the spaces under stair 
openings with brick or metal lath and 
plaster, it not only prevents these spaces 
from acting as flues for fire, but it 
also prevents mice from getting into 
the walls. 

Frequently fires are caused in houses 
from ashes being put into wooden bar¬ 
rels, or from waste paper being put into 
wooden barrels at the foot of the cellar 




























































































































P' HE plan is unusually zvell worked 
out—the dining-room and lizhng- 
room open up well and the position of 
the dining-room is good on account of 
the privacy it obtains and its relation 
to the rear piazza. The second floor 
contains four good chambers and a 
balcony or sleeping porch opening 
from two rooms. 


A RED brick Colonial house—the 
white columns and woodwork 
standing in relief against the brick 
walls are very pleasing. The roof is 
slate and the blinds are painted green. 



34 



















































































































































stairs, and hot ashes thrown into them. 
The fire, once started, makes quick prog¬ 
ress on the first floor joists, and up the 
cellar stairway, so have the cellar 
stairs closed at the top with a door. 
If the stairs are made of plank and 
left open at the sides, with the excep¬ 
tion of the hand rail, the fire will travel 
more slowly. If the ceiling is plastered 
on metal lath it is an additional pre¬ 
vention, and the ceiling should be 
plastered over the furnace and over the 
smoke pipe for this reason. 

The Cellar should contain a well- 
lighted laundry with wash trays of 
enamel, iron or soapstone.(See Plumb¬ 
ing page 29.) The cheap wash trays 
which are made of cement are not very 
durable. There should be a small plat¬ 
form of slats in front of the wash trays 
so that the laundress will not have to 
stand on the damp floor. 

In some sections of the country, 
particularly the farming section, it 
seems advisable to have the laundry 
adjoining the kitchen on the ground 
floor, with a woodshed adjoining the 
laundry. This is preferable to the cel¬ 
lar laundry; but in cases where both 
land and buildings are very expensive, 
it it not economical. 

There should be a small toilet-room 
in the basement, which is not expensive, 
as it can be attached to the main 
plumbing system. 

One vegetable and preserve closet 
should have a window well away from 
the heater, without any heating pipes 
passing through it. If it can be en¬ 
closed in brick walls and dry air allowed 
to circulate through it from the outside, 
the vegetables and preserves will keep 
much better. 

Coal bins should be placed so that 
the coal can be put in through windows 
easily reached on the outside, and each 
bin should hold a year’s supply. A ton 
of coal occupies from thirty-five to 
forty cubic feet of space. 

Plastering: The old-fashioned meth¬ 
od was to lath a house with wooden 
laths, over which two coats of very 
ordinary plaster was applied. In many 
sections the old-fashioned wood lath 
is still used, and it is satisfactory; 
but I believe that plaster boards are to 
be preferred, because they are slow 
burning and they permit the mason to 
obtain a smooth finish without depres¬ 
sions or irregularities. In some houses, 


usually expensive ones, the plastering is 
done on metal lath, which is preferable 
to either of the above mentioned ways. 
To obtain good plastering you must 
have good material and good workmen. 
They must take care to put on the last 
coat so that it is perfectly straight. 
Wall board or a composition board is 
now used quite extensively; but I be¬ 
lieve that plastering is more desirable. 

Casement Sash: Casement sash is a 
type of window commonly used in Eng¬ 
land, France and Italy. These windows 
usually swing out, and have an advant¬ 
age over double-hung windows in that 
they open up the full area. But in 
Europe screens are seldom used, and 
windows are set in deep recesses or 



35 








































































jambs, so that the curtains hang far 
enough away from the sash to permit 
the windows to be opened into this re¬ 
cess without disturbing the curtains. 
Our frame houses with thin walls do 
not permit of this treatment. 

Blinds: The blinds may be the com¬ 
mon, ordinary type usually found on 
frame dwellings; but I would suggest 
a heavy shutter having solid panels, on 
the first story, with a half moon, dia¬ 
mond or heart cut in the top panel. 
They are very good for closing up the 
house, besides being very decorative. 
The blinds on the second story can be 
made in two panels with slats. 

Sleeping Porch: Few houses are built 
today without a sleeping porch. Some¬ 
times, where a very small porch is de¬ 
sired, it can be constructed inexpensiv¬ 
ely over the back porch and can be en¬ 
closed with canvas screens and roofed 
with a light roofing. I have found, how¬ 
ever, that the most satisfactory sleeping 
porch is about the size of an ordinary 
chamber and is built over a sun parlor 
or side piazza. (See houses, pages n and 
33.) The room is then plastered and 
equipped on its three sides with glazed 
sash, so that the amount of fresh air 
desired can be regulated. This room 
being built onto the house and not 
being heated, is very satisfactory, be¬ 
cause it can be used with all the win¬ 
dows closed as a very comfortable 
chamber, and yet, when it is opened, the 
cold air cannot chill the interior of the 
house. It also provides a roof for the 


sun porch, which should also be enclosed 
with glazed sash and doors so that it 
may be opened on mild days and closed 
on cold days. During the day the sleep¬ 
ing porch with this sash will be warm 
enough to be used as a children’s play¬ 
room, and the air will be healthily fresh 
in either of these rooms. 

Piazzas: The large piazza placed at 
the south side is much better than if 
across the front, restricting the use of 
the front porch for entrance only. An¬ 
other smaller piazza off the dining-room 
may be used as a breakfast porch, and 
enclosed in the winter and used as a 
conservatory. The large piazza would 
be of considerable value in winter if 
enclosed in glass, and with this in mind 
it would be well to have a radiator in it. 

On the porch heavy, old-fashioned set¬ 
tees or seats may be used with good 
effect; and if made separately, they can 
be moved wherever desired. 

Porch Floors: In inexpensive houses 

it will probably be necessary to con¬ 
struct the porch floors of Oregon fir or 
Georgia pine with steps of the same 
material. Where the piazza is enclosed 
with glass, to be used as a sun parlor in 
the winter, it is advisable to have a 
concrete foundation under it. 1 he floor 
may then be of reinforced concrete or 
tile laid on concrete slabs or on cinder 
fill. This is far more expensive, but 
adds greatly to the appearance of the 
sun parlor. The floors of sleeping 
porches may be of cypress or hard pine, 
fir or canvas. 


Estimates and Payments 


OW that we have settled upon the 
site, and considered the arrange¬ 
ment and necessary details to be 
thought of in connection with the house, 
the final important question is that of 
getting estimates. 

A reliable builder would rather figure 
on an accurate and complete set of 
plans in competition with other good 
builders than to give a figure on poor 
plans, knowing that he must add a large 
extra percentage to protect himself 
against being called upon to supply de¬ 
ficient parts not shown on the plans. The 
unscrupulous contractor, who knows 
this, but puts in a low figure without 
any fund for contingencies, plans to 


hold to the strict interpretation of the 
plans, and will not put one cent’s worth 
more than your incomplete plans call 
for. By law you have no redress. 

The cost of building depends also 
upon the construction, its finish, quality 
and kind, the painting, the plumbing, 
and whatever enters into the building to 
make it complete. There is, however, 
a choice which, while not the best, is 
not the poorest, and gives a satisfactory 
result, intelligently handled. Here again 
the architect’s advice and economical 
handling warrants his fee, and actually 
saves it in the selection of good inex¬ 
pensive materials and finishes. 


I 




' I ' HE intangible touch of the 
architect makes this design 
unusual and interesting with sharp 
gables and stucco walls. 


First Floor 


Second Floor 

r I ' HE first floor arrangement 
-*■ meets all the modern re¬ 
quirements of good planning, 
the rooms all opening up well 
from the hall. The second floor 
contains the usual four cham¬ 
bers and two baths with ample 
closets. The attic contains two 
chambers. 



.1 


While the first estimate of cost 
may not be exact, it must be defi¬ 
nite enough to* establish a basis upon 
which to decide whether the expendi¬ 
ture is warranted by personal needs or 
as a profitable undertaking. The units 
making up the total cost of building are 
definite; but generally the client’s re¬ 
quirements are not, and as they form the 
basis of cost they must be settled upon 
first, or you should permit your archi¬ 
tect to modify your requirements to 
come within your appropriation. 


The Locality Factor: I have found 
that between New England points and 
some sections of the South there is a 
difference of fifty per cent in the cost of 
building the same house. Figures can 
not be given that will give the standard 
ratio, because the cost of building fluc¬ 
tuates according to the supply and de¬ 
mand. 

Another factor of cost is found in the 
difference between rural sections having 
no building laws, but cheap labor and 
native material, and cities having build- 


37 

































































































































































































































ing laws, organized labor, and the best 
building material, with the additional 
overhead expense necessary to carry on 
business in the city which increases the 
cost from io to 25 per cent. This an¬ 
alysis, however, will indicate the dif¬ 
ference of cost between widely separ¬ 
ated sections, and between cities and 
their adjacent localities and explains 
some of the mysteries of wide differ¬ 
ences of cost. 

Some sections of the country have not 
progressed as rapidly as others; their 
standards of building are lower, and 
they are not exacting in details of re¬ 
finement and comfort. In many rural 
sections they are very careless about 
building; while in the large commer¬ 
cial centers where the greatest prog¬ 
ress has been made, the standards of 
building are very high, established by 
well-fixed building regulations covering 
construction, as well as the demand for 
well-built and up-to-date houses by 
those who can afford to have the very 
best. 

Many of the necessities and up-to-date 
equipment found in homes costing from 
five thousand dollars upward would be 
considered by those living in rural sec¬ 
tions as absolutely unnecessary for their 
comfort or mode of living. 

Other Conditions: The cost of build¬ 
ing fluctuates with the prosperity of the 
country, with a fixed wage where or¬ 
ganized labor is controlled by the unions, 
and the fluctuating wage scale in other 
sections regulated by the demand for 
labor. The price of all building material 
is regulated by supply and demand. 
Therefore the man who has money in 
the bank and can build during hard 
times, would obtain everything at mini¬ 
mum rates. These conditions and the 
amount of competition determine the 
cost to you. 

Competition: This is necessary in 
order to obtain the lowest figure; 
that is, the owner after having pro¬ 
cured his plans, specifications, and de¬ 
tails, should place them in the hands of 
four or five responsible contractors for 
bids—the job going to the lowest bidder. 

Most small houses are built under 
contract, which means that the contrac¬ 
tor names the price for which he will 
erect the building complete. This is 
probably the safest method for anyone 
building a small house, as it is important 
that he should know beforehand the 
amount he will be called upon to expend. 
But bear in mind that even under a 


contract this price can be exceeded if 
you make changes or add extras. 

The other method of building is known 
as day work, under which scheme you 
select a reliable builder who pro¬ 
ceeds to build the house from the plans 
and specifications which you furnish 
him, rendering you bills each month 
for the net cost of all labor and ma¬ 
terial used in the house that month. 
You agree to pay him, in addition to 
this, a commission of usually 10 per cent 
as his compensation. If you employ 
an architect he will obtain the bids and 
advise you concerning these matters 
more in detail. 

Bids will vary greatly; the lowest 
figure being accepted and a contract 
signed, you know what your house will 
cost, provided you do not incur extra 
expenses by making changes while the 
house is being built. So you can read¬ 
ily see that the only accurate way to 
obtain an exact estimate is to obtain 
bids on the plans and specifications. An 
approximate estimate may be made by 
comparing these bids with the known 
cost of some house of similar dimen¬ 
sions and construction recently built in 
your section. 

The cost of alterations and additions 

to existing houses is another source of 
annoyance, because the attendant diffi¬ 
culties of tearing out the old work and 
matching and joining the new work is 
more expensive than a piece of new 
work without the attendant handicap. 
A certain portion of the cost of altera¬ 
tions gives no return,—such as the cost 
of demolition, the cost of renewing per¬ 
fectly good work that is damaged dur¬ 
ing the alterations, such as loosening 
ceilings, marring floors and finish, the 
subsequent cost of refinishing and paint¬ 
ing work that was perfectly good, the 
expense of redecorating damaged walls, 
leveling up old floors and boring 
through the construction in order to 
run new wire and pipes from the old 
work to the new. 

Payments: In making monthly pay¬ 
ments the owner should not be called 
upon to pay to the contractor more than 
85 per cent of the labor and material 
actually used during the month. This 
leaves a balance of 15 per cent, which 
the owner retains until the building is 
completed, at which time these balances 
will represent 15 per cent of the total 
contract price. This should be paid to 
the contractor with any extras that 
have been authorized, upon satisfactory 


38 


evidence given by the contractor to the 
owner that the contractor has discharged 
all debts for labor ■ and that the building 
is not subject to liens. Be very sure of 
this last point. 

Payments on the building are made 
direct to the contractor upon the certi¬ 
ficate of the architect. This method 
gives the architect control of all the 
details and places him in the position of 
an adviser and arbitrator, which is to 
the mutual benefit of both owner and 
builder. 

The contractor is employed by the 
owner to execute a contract, through the 
the architect, the builder addressing the 
owner through the architect, or the own¬ 
er addressing the builder in the same 
manner. 

In some sections of the country, the 
payments on a small house are ar¬ 
ranged as follows: The owner agrees 
to pay for the house in, let us say, five 
payments, arranged as follows: First 
payment to be made when the cellar is 
in; second payment to be made when 
the house is up, closed in and roofed; 
third payment to be made when the in¬ 
terior is plastered; fourth payment 
when the house is finished, and the fifth 


payment, which represents the balance 
due on the contract and any extras, 
thirty days after the house is com¬ 
pleted, subject to the owner's approval 
and after the contractor has furnished 
evidence that the owner will not be 
liable for any claims for material or 
labor furnished on the job and not paid 
for by the contractor. 

A Final Word: Remember that the 
construction of a house is really a very 
simple undertaking, but, like many other 
things that are not fully understood, the 
client is apt to be worried by unforeseen 
handicaps—such as delays or bad weath¬ 
er, both of which are bound to occur. 
Possibly he will not be able to tell 
whether the work is good or bad, but 
he should not expect to obtain the high¬ 
est degree of perfection unless he pays 
the prices necessary for employing the 
most skillful men and purchasing the 
finest material. There is, however, a 
reasonable degree of perfection that 
should be obtained, and the owner 
should be fair in determining what is 
due him under the contract. It will aid 
a great deal if all materials and fixtures 
can be selected and ordered early in 
order to avoid delays. 


39 



* 


V 












f 


K- 


' 


# 

























































H 395 85 1 

- 































‘.-.o’ .0' V**^’*’ A <# V* ° “ 0 n 

^ J \ / .*&&. % / ‘V -. ^ 

..._. v// , o ° ** v/>v • ^ 

- - * 4 ^rs^s>: 




• 0° 'V/ 

.0^ * * • ^ v ^ 


/ ^ \ 



° V* 

* v *£» 


♦ 5 

o c^ 

* 7y 
° M 


9 * G^ *° • * 4 a a * ' * • * * A^ # 

v .vs *^ 0 c 0 * 3 % ^ c o^ 1 * /t?yL* °o 

o -‘-^% «vfjjg|y. ‘* x 

« 



b V 

OtV A 

o 0" %..° 0 ^ %oTo °^ 0 

0 >k . •;,••*. P „ “ ‘ 


o^'«* % 4 > 0 

♦w®^. ° /r / 
«fe V* ° 



V’"^ ° 0 

r ^b ‘'oA*' A ^ 

C- ° <<r * 


<> ' • • 5 A y 

> <A . • 1 ' * * 

i> /'V . *■ ^ r/yi^> •* 



i>°^ 


• ‘ ,o° V ‘^rf- •* A % '*^v*’ *°° V‘' * * ’ • ^ 

*. c V> A **••, cv .<y *' , *°' v> 




p ... % '••' ■f ..... ~* 0 /\..., <* 

•‘Us’^t- -t, c° ♦W®** ° .<r .•■sSStirC* - 

•> < 5 >$x\W%>' , ‘- /i *. jSZuIxs??* *y A o/if^l'\» 


4 P>. 
«<* 


> 


^ ■“’’ ^.° 

* <9 * 

‘ * A * 

vJ> ^ 


,v 



“V * ^'Z-xA' i aj 

V " • * •> • - r 

«• <v %> v » s 

ir ^ /; V 



■5" %? o. A 



v» 

- 

°rU * ° " ° £ V 

V A° . 

> A * 

- • i 

;* ♦♦ ^ 






'b K 







^'3' / V^*V ...A 

. % ^ oVVl*’ ^ 




» *v«* 

• £ *+ \ 




A> ^ v ^’ - 

-V o'O 'o . A * A 

.A o°V , 

•r O ^ ^ 

; •’b V* 

«5 J- 0-7 "^ • 

h o . t\ 

% ••Vi* ^ •"’• .0 

* 0 . ,<y . * •.' ■ 

, :$jg&x i 

* aV^ 

** ^ ^ •. 



*o m \ 4 A 

<y ,o"o 


A V ' ♦ • 5 % '^o 

^ .0 ^ <y yj/rvl' °-3 A 

-..•«-••/ v^-/ v^y 

\ / ,i&-\/ •' 





•T A S ^ 

% •• n 4 ^ 

". ^ 0 4 


o 

o 


Ho* 



* A V -Xv ' 

« ^ ^ b 

*o m k * A v 

A> ,. 0 N o # 





*'a^ % ' 0 ^‘ 


* & ^ « 


A 


A 


c, o »' 0 ♦ 


'^<p 


r-SSN\ .<► 






♦ X X 0 aV 

♦ > 



* ^ • 

- - <?. v ri» *> 'Si i'ibier * 

AV <b •'«»*'* < 0 ^ v 2 A 

-& t • L ' fl * ^ x0 v o 0 " ® * . t'» 

«* ^ A K /SAw/y^ * *P 4 ' , ^$^\lf5k''' xx -V x 

X° *, • S@i3^C # 4 O * 

_ ^ ^ ^ V0^» [T ^ * <^y//i\)X > 

v**“’*’f°° .. ^ '*<.»»’■ ^ °o 0 ° V 

# ^ a.v »Lx_% V * y * °* <b .<y % s# *'x. 

•. *<& ,/ :«£• ^ ^ *'*$&/&• \ A . *stofr . \ „ x o 

• -' 4 ”* > «V«^ A'/' 

* a? ° <y Wjff* ^ 

'♦7^?*' ^ <^ *»...»* d 4- ' 

, - , .# »• l A*» ^ ,0 V 0»" 0 -, 

•* ^ v <sN\\\ [\^W ^ «n ^ ** ^ v/ • 

*: ^o 4 .°<’Sif|2l*. ,} bv k ' -^o 4 

^ •jW£% : ^ ^ - $ *+, ** <?«. 

°o^ ^ -* 

^ i^ V x* t • o _ < » « fe ^ ^ \ v w A 


?,♦ ^ ^ •.. 

» <\ > 

^ *#dr/z^ x, v. 



<3 

'..*** . 0 * ^ 





« / ■» 



^ - "^ 3 ^ • <lp o * '^ua/ < *’A o “*b -, > k ' 

V '”"° y °* *•■’• f° V * 

. ^ «, V A’J • * J>\'iZL’~ *> 

• *<» »rCCOsg /h,° cv * -! 

: V 'ilAm* v ^ k * 

.* ,/ % -^p,‘ A ^ ^ *!w* ^ % % 

a9 ^ ' • * S 4 A <\. *0 « A * -0 o ' o • > v 

r 0^ *o ^ o'- 1 ** 0^ c 0 " 0 '* ^o A % # ti« 

^o K . ^jSvfSfi * ++0* ° *o & 

°v^>° !Kw °" v w / >0 % ^ 

X AV % * x^* \,> \> fi Y • °<r c* <0 V X S ♦ * ^ t^-v 

'. <& ^ a 4, 4y/k" %> / a 4 

* v a ^ ^ / . 

^ < o c s 4 A <Vk "' o • * 

, v n N O . Vb. a v 




o 

C 

?,* ^ o 

* ^ <b 'O » A 

V . 1 *.. <s> 




* <6 V s 
,o^ c°-L°. 



x0 V c 0 W ® * *Q e t • « . "<$>. 

C O ^ D- S^JV*zS+ ^ 

: ^o 4 .‘^lat*. .‘^j^»* ^o 4 

v y" <v^-/ V^‘ y °* -.- 

* ^ V c> a. 0’ ^ 5 bL'v ^ »’ •»/ ^b 

'• ^ A 4, *‘,((\^ifA % ^ ^ ^ A 4, >!t(\V/k' ^ A 

,.** ( /\ /\ l^K‘ : ^ V \ 

* A^ 'b/ 4 *« s 4 ^ *o * k * .(y *</ 4 5» A 

0* 1 0 " ® ♦ ^b • »>' * - <^. o'*®* *^b i / 0 



r oV 




■ ^ ^ **.vb% ^ ^ ^bx <0 V **••% "> 





HECKMAN 

BINDERY INC. 




MAY 85 


N. MANCHESTER, 
INDIANA 46962 


‘ «A A' > . 6kx5 x * *P.X A*^ x- 

* ^V<x «V^ ♦ jA K8 Al ° C.V- ♦ 


R * ^ A v < 



• *P. 

° C.' 

“ '•Qpv » 

; A ^-V * 

* V <b ° 



' A ^7‘: ; .’?' a v 

i x Or c 0 ** 0 <» ^<D t 1 * x <^x 

10 .'^smT* ° A *w^.’ ^ c • 

>• '^^,* ^Q 4 ' 



o • fc 


• <A 

* <•> ' J ?A 

4 ^ 



^ V. 1, 









































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































